Top 5 Point Guards in Orlando Magic Franchise’s History

Top 5 Point Guards in Orlando Magic Franchise’s History

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Orlando Magic

5. Steve Francis

Unfortunately, Steve Francis was a huge disappointment in a Magic uniform. He just never found his footing and was hardly the All Star he was in Houston. Not that he was much of an All Star in Houston. He was a ball-dominating point guard that was typical in the early 2000s. Supremely talented at one point, he came to Orlando reluctantly after the trade from Houston. Francis came to represent the failures of Jon Weisbrod’s troubled tenure as general manager.

He just did not ever fit what Johnny Davis, Chris Jent or Brian Hill wanted to do as head coach. They tried to make him a pass-first guy and he just was not. And he never got his offensive game back in Orlando. The Magic were lucky to pawn him off to Isiah Thomas and the Knicks when they did. It cannot feel good to say that about the centerpiece of a major trade. But that might as well be the truth. Francis put up numbers, but had nothing to show for it in a season and a half as the team’s point guard. He was hardly the leader Weisbrod envisioned when he accepted that fateful deal with Houston.

4. Darrell Armstrong

A lot of what Armstrong did was intangible. He was the face of the team and probably the team’s most beloved player. His stats hardly tell the story of his impact on the team and on the culture of being a Magic fan. Armstrong should be the definition of a team-first guy. Whether he was diving on the floor for loose balls or providing a spark on offense or defense, when his team needed something, Armstrong gave it. You do not really even have to mention much more than his name to understand what Armstrong meant to the franchise. It is no surprise to us that he has become a coach (now on a championship staff). His play always seemed to help the teams he was on overachieve. The worst part was Orlando was never good enough to get him out of the first round. But it is hard to find a bad memory of Armstrong. He was the perfect team leader.

3. Scott Skiles

It was December 30th, 1990, and the second-year Orlando Magic were hosting the Denver Nuggets. That night, in a battle between two of the NBA’s bottom-feeders, the Magic put 155 on a weak Denver team, securing a 39 point victory. Terry Catledge had 25 and 11, whilst Jerry Reynolds scored 27 off the bench in just 26 minutes. Yet that is not why anyone remembers the game. It was at this game that Scott Skiles broke the NBA Assists record, for assists in a single game – a record that still stands to this day. Skiles had 30 assists to go along with 22 points in a dominant display, and it was performances like this one that have helped Skiles retain a fanbase amongst the Orlando faithful. Scott Skiles is the third greatest point guard in Orlando Magic franchise history.